


Kiss

by xXQueenofDragonsXx



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bisexual Carl Grimes, Bisexual Female Character, Carl Grimes Lives, Dorks in Love, F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Female Carl Grimes, First Kiss, Fluff, Girls Kissing, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jealousy, Kissing, Light Angst, Marriage Proposal, Not Canon Compliant, One-Eyed Carl Grimes, POV Carl Grimes, Pining, Teen Carl Grimes, but it's brief, no beta we die like carl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:22:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28880907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXQueenofDragonsXx/pseuds/xXQueenofDragonsXx
Summary: The first time Charlotte Grimes kisses someone, she is twelve-years-old.---Or the female Carl Grimes fic that no one asked for.
Relationships: Carl Grimes/Sophia Peletier, Enid/Carl Grimes
Comments: 8
Kudos: 17





	Kiss

The first time Charlotte Grimes kisses someone, she is twelve-years-old. 

It had been the morning after the walkers had attacked their camp -- a day or two after she had gained her dad back -- and she and Sophia are sitting in Dale's RV as the adults bustle around outside. They stare at the windows, stare at each other, whisper to one another about their worries and fears. They're pretty quiet mostly, but it's cold too, surprisingly so for Georgia -- maybe because the sun hasn't fully risen yet -- and the two girls are snuggled against each other, trying to find some sort of warmth.

She doesn't know why it happens, but one moment she's curled up into a ball and the next, there are warm lips on hers.

_ She smells nice,  _ Charlotte thinks as Sophia pulls away, a faint flush covering her cheeks. Kind of like... pine trees and mints with a faint hint of flowers.

How someone smells like that during the end of the world is a total mystery to Charlotte.

"Sorry... it's just..." Sophia shifts nervously in her seat, chewing on her bottom lip as her face turns brighter than a tomato. "Didn't want to die without kissing someone." 

Right. The end of the world. People are dying left and right, and any day can be their last. But as she stares at Sophia sitting beside her, her head tucked into her chest as her strawberry blonde hair falls into her face, Charlotte can't help the feeling of sadness that sweeps over her. 

"You're not going to die anytime soon, Sophia," Charlotte says, grabbing the other girl's hands, "we'll stick together. No walker can get us if we stay together!"

Sophia smiles. "Thank you, Char."

It's less than a week later that Sophia gets lost in the forest by the highway. And they're at the farm for less than a month when Shane opens the barn doors, and Sophia stumbles out, her once pretty face gray and rotting and her once shining eyes lifeless and dull. 

* * *

Charlotte doesn't kiss anyone for a long time after that.

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. The next time Charlotte kisses someone, it's at the prison sometime after Andrea's death and the Governor's disappearance. Her dad had brought in the citizens of Woodbury into the prison -- and that means a couple of kids around her age, there isn't a lot of them, but it feels nice having people her age around. 

One of the first people from Woodbury she befriends is Patrick. He's nice to her -- he's a good friend. But for some reason, her dad doesn't like how much time Charlotte spends with Patrick. He pretty much refuses to leave the two of them alone for even a moment, and the teasing that some of the adults do only makes Charlotte more annoyed. She's tried telling them all that she doesn't see Patrick  _ that  _ way, but none of them relent. 

Whatever, they can do what they want.

She is playing with Judith in the library as Patrick looks through the books nearby. It's one of the only times that the library is actually nearly unoccupied. Most times, Carol is in here, teaching the kids of the prison. And whenever she isn't in her, other people are usually browsing for books. 

And then Patrick sits beside her, shifting awkwardly for a few moments. Then, he kisses her. It takes Charlotte by surprise, but she doesn't push him away. She can't help but compare the kiss to the one she had shared with Sophia -- her lips had been more gentle and soft; it had been quick and chaste. This one isn't much different, though it lasts a little bit longer.

Patrick pulls away when the sound of voices make themselves known nearby. Seconds later, Daryl and her dad enter the room, and they pause at seeing Patrick, Charlotte, and Judith all just sitting there. Her little sister starts babbling, holding her arms toward their dad to be picked up. Her dad obliges, striding forward and scooping the baby into his arms. Then, he stares down at Charlotte and Patrick.

"What's going on here?" He asks -- his tone is faintly accusing. Charlotte heaves a heavy sigh.

"Dad, stop it," she says, getting up and crossing her arms, "me and Patrick were just looking at the books. There's no need to be so weird about it." Patrick starts nodding rapidly from beside her. Daryl, from where he still stands in the doorway, looks faintly amused at the scene unfolding in front of him.

"Okay then..." There's a look of doubt on his face, but Charlotte knows it would have been there even if Patrick hadn't kissed her. "Michonne is looking for you, by the way. Said she founds some more comic books for you to look at."

Charlotte perks up almost instantly. "Really? Cool!"

And they leave, but Charlotte never gets the chance to talk to Patrick about that kiss they shared, for he dies later that night from a sickness she hadn't even been aware of existing and kills a number of people as a walker before they were able to calm things down. The prison goes back to chaos not long after that, with people dying from illness left and right. Then the Governor attacks, more people die, and Charlotte escapes alone with her dad, finding the rest of the group a week or two later.

* * *

Jealousy isn't really a new feeling for Charlotte, though she doesn't feel it very often. Charlotte feels jealous whenever she meets people with both their parents, or when she meets people who had lost very little in this new and dangerous world or ones that are more skilled than she is. She feels jealous whenever Glenn and Maggie or any other couple shares a kiss -- because  _ she  _ never got the chance to have anyone like that. But she shoves most of it down because jealousy will not help anyone to survive. Jealousy makes people stupid and petty, and Charlotte Grimes is not any of those things.

But apparently, she hasn't shoved it down enough.

Because right now? Well... right now, it's safe to say that she's pretty jealous. The jealousy stings and tickles at her skin, but she still can't bring herself to stop glaring at Ron Anderson, who had just pulled Enid in for a kiss. The other girl pulls away quickly, looking annoyed at her boyfriend's show of affection, but this doesn't stop Charlotte from glaring at the redhead as she sits with Mikey on the other side of the room. 

_ She doesn't even like him,  _ Charlotte thinks bitterly, unable to spot herself from wondering how soft Enid's lips might be. She hasn't felt the slightest hint of attraction to Ron or Mikey despite Michonne and Maggie's constant teasing. Instead, she finds herself watching Enid, who's looking so pretty with her big green eyes and brown hair. Charlotte doesn't dare speak a word of this to anyone but Tara, though. 

_"A word of advice, though,"_ Tara had said when Charlotte first approached her about it, _"don't spend all your time moping around, m'kay? That isn't going to help you at all."_

Seems like Charlotte is already failing.

Mikey heaves a heavy sigh beside her. Charlotte ignores him in favor of glaring at Ron even harder. But it doesn't take long for her gaze to drift back over to Enid. It does that often these days.

Enid turns slightly, catching Charlotte's stare. Charlotte's face flushes bright red, and she quickly looks away, mortified at the fact she had been caught staring at the other girl. Enid probably thinks that she's some kind of creep now. Hell, Enid probably won't take kindly to Charlotte being attracted to her in the first place. So what Charlotte should be doing is getting over her weird little crush.

Or she should get better at communicating her feelings. Everything is getting so confusing, and getting things organized would probably help a lot. 

Or maybe it won't. Who even knows anymore; definitely not Charlotte. She doesn't even understand her own feelings half the time. 

She jumps when Mikey jabs her shoulder with his finger. "You're useless," he declares, quietly as to not draw Ron or Enid's attention onto them, "do you really think staring at her is going to help? You're not being subtle either."

Charlotte swats his hand away, rolling her eyes. "Oh, shut up." She glowers at him, keeping her voice equally as quiet. "I didn't ask for you to be a prick."

The boy rolls his eyes, his attention already returning to the video game he's playing. "I'm just saying, if you want your crush to be a secret, you probably should try to be a little less obvious."

* * *

The thing is, Charlotte Grimes isn't really a vain person. 

She chopped off most of her hair after her mom had died -- it's around shoulder length now and so much easier to take care of, so Charlotte doesn't really fret about that. Charlotte also doesn't care much for the curves and breasts she had gained either. Being in Alexandria hadn't changed any of that -- Charlotte still doesn't care for those kind of things. And when Michonne had been on a makeover spree with the other women, Charlotte had made herself as scarce as possible.

So no, Charlotte Grimes isn't vain -- she doesn't care about her appearance, but as she stares at the mirror, or more specifically, at her eye -- or lack thereof -- she feels almost all of her confidence drain away. "It's ugly," she declares, and she hugs her arms to her chest, a frown pulling at her face.

"It's not ugly," Michonne says from her spot in the doorway. 

Charlotte appreciates the woman's attempt at comforting her, but she knows ugly when she sees it. And that gaping eyesocket? It's ugly. Charlotte reaches up, patting down some of her hair to try and cover the wound. Maybe she should try growing it out. She likes having shorter hair, but perhaps having longer hair would hide the missing eye better. 

Charlotte Grimes isn't a vain person, but this is definitely the exception. 

* * *

Charlotte would be lying if she said she isn't scared of Negan. Because she is afraid of him, but not for the same reason the rest of her group is. She isn't terrified of him because he killed Glenn or Abraham -- she's angry but not scared of him because of that. 

She hadn't even been afraid of him until he had called her forward, until he made her lie on the ground in front of him. She hadn't been scared of him until the moment he had pinned her there, a shit-eating grin on his face as he yammered on about who knows what -- she had laid there, scared shitless and her mind racing a hundred miles a minute as she thinks about all the horrible things he might try and do. 

Charlotte is afraid of Negan because he reminds her of those men that had cornered her, Rick, and Michonne in the woods. She's scared of Negan because she had thought he might try and do the same thing those men had failed to do. And when he had instead told her dad to cut her arm off, the only thing she had felt was a suffocating sense of relief. 

It's kind of fucked up to think about, but it's the truth.

Charlotte Grimes isn't scared of Negan because of what he did to her friends. No, Charlotte is afraid of him because of what he still might try and do. 

* * *

One of the Saviors keeps smiling at her -- no, not smile -- it's a predatory smirk that crosses his face. And that smirk is followed by a hungry look that flickers in his eyes as he carries a box of Alexandria's medicine in his arms. She aims a gun at him, rage burning in her gut as images of Glenn and Abraham's dead bodies drift into her mind. She should just shoot him right here -- she should pull the trigger. 

"You should go," she says when Negan arrives with her dad in tow, "before you find out how dangerous we all are."

Negan just laughs.

The sound makes her hatred burn even brighter.

* * *

"I don't think Negan's here," Charlotte says as she and Enid watch the Saviors move in and out of Hilltop, "I don't see that black truck."

She sees Simon there instead -- Negan's second in command. That isn't much better than Negan actually being there. In a way, she thinks that Simon might be worse than Negan is. She doesn't know what exactly makes her feel that way. Maybe it's the unhinged look she often sees in his eyes, or perhaps it's the hungry way she sees him stare at various women. Sometimes Charlotte even feels that stare on herself.

"You weren't taking a drive," Enid says softly -- matter-of-factly, "You weren't coming to get me.” Charlotte winces at her words. Still, she doesn't tear her gaze away from the community before her. She can feel Enid's eyes on her as the other girl begins to realize what Charlotte is planning to do. 

Charlotte glances at her. "I can't let him get away with this. You know I can't."

Enid sighs. "I know."

Seconds later, an idea pops into her head.

"Come with me!" Charlotte blurts out, and Enid whips her head around to stare at her. Charlotte feels her cheeks heat, "You wanna kill him too," she reasons, stepping closer to the other girl, "we can do it."

The look on Enid's face is considering -- and for a second, Charlotte wonders if she's actually going to agree. But then Enid's gaze drifts to Hilltop -- to where Maggie is. And as she does that, Charlotte already knows what her answer is going to be. 

"You said it. It wouldn't be for us, not for Abraham, not for Glenn, not for Maggie. You're doing it for you." Enid steps closer to Charlotte as she speaks, trying to coax the other girl into looking at her. They're only inches away now.

"Yeah." Charlotte lets her gaze drift to the ground, but then her eye flickers back up to Enid. They're so close now -- their foreheads are practically touching. Charlotte can feel Enid's breath on her own lips, and she takes in a shuddering breath, wondering what would happen if she tries to close the distance between them. 

"So it all goes right," Enid says, her voice unbelievably soft, "and you do it. How do you get away?"

Charlotte shakes her head, "it wouldn't matter."

"It would to me!" Enid hisses, her eyes wide and pleading -- begging for Charlotte to listen to her. "Charlotte... even if you kill Negan, you know perfectly well what his men might try and do to you. And if you don't kill him, what if he tries to..." she cuts herself off, and Charlotte feels as if she'd just been slapped in the face.

"I don't-" Charlotte sighs, closing her eye and resting her forehead against Enid's. "No one else is doing anything about it," she whispers, slowly moving away and pressing a kiss to Enid's forehead. 

Enid is staring at Charlotte with wide and gentle eyes, and before she can really think about it for long, Charlotte is leaning in, connecting their lips in a kiss. It's short and sweet, and Charlotte feels her heart pound like thunder in her chest at the feel of Enid's lips against hers. They pull away, and Charlotte is half-tempted to lean in again -- to kiss Enid once more after months of pining.

"Please don't go," Enid whispers against Charlotte's lips. She grabs her hand and takes in a shaky breath. "Just come with me. Please..."

Charlotte stares at her. "I-" She cuts herself off. "Okay," she says instead, "I'll stay."

And when she sees Enid's bright smile, Charlotte knows that she's made the right decision.

* * *

Maggie is surprised to see them, to say the least, but she welcomes the two girls with open arms.

Being at Hilltop is nice. Gregory is a dick, and hiding from the Saviors is definitely annoying, but otherwise, Charlotte really likes it. The people are (mostly) kind to her, and spending time with Enid, Sasha, and Maggie is fun -- she's shared a few more kisses with Enid since they first came here, and she helps Maggie out with her pregnancy whenever she can. Charlotte also finds herself spending a lot of time with Earl, the blacksmith of Hilltop. 

One day, she asks if he can teach her something. He says yes, and soon Charlotte finds herself working with him for almost half the day. The work is hard, it's tiring, and Charlotte has burned her fingers more times than she can count, but those things only make her more determined to get these things right. Soon, Charlotte has made her first knife, and when she proudly shows it off to Enid, the smile she gets in return is enough to make her insides turn to jello.

When her dad comes to Hilltop a few days later, he nearly cries when he sees her. He wraps her up in a hug that nearly crushes her, and it's enough to make her feel bad for worrying him. Neither she nor Enid dare mention what Charlotte had been planning to do. And when Charlotte kisses Enid in front of everyone later that night, the look of surprise on Rick Grimes's face is enough to make everyone burst into laughter. Michonne, on the other hand, doesn't look the slightest bit surprised by the revelation. 

* * *

The war with the Saviors ends with a bang.

Negan is thrown into a cell, the remaining Saviors are integrated into the communities, and things are finally at peace. Charlotte ends up moving to Hilltop with Enid, and though she misses being able to see her family every day, she feels so much more at home in Hilltop than she ever has in Alexandria. She gets to apprentice under Earl while Enid learns to be a doctor under Siddiq. She gets to be there for little Hershel Rhee's birth, and when she holds the baby in her arms for the first time, she knows that she will protect him with her life.

But Charlotte never feels more at home when she's with Enid -- when she's kissing her, hugging her, or even just holding her hand, Charlotte feels like she can fly. She feels like things are as they should be, that they can finally live the life they were meant to. 

One night, while they are lying in bed, she tells Enid that she loves her. "More than anything," she says, staring into her girlfriend's eyes, "I don't know where I would be without you." Charlotte's head is resting on Enid's chest, allowing her to feel the warmth of her skin and the steady thump of her girlfriend's heart. 

Enid's eyes blazed. "I love you too," she says in a low voice, then, she narrows her eyes, "wait... is this a marriage proposal?" 

Charlotte giggles. "I mean, if you want it to be, then sure." 

Enid's smile widens. "That would be nice," she says, "especially since I have this-" Charlotte watches, confused, as Enid pulls something out from her pocket. Then, Enid opens her palm, and Charlotte's mouth drops open when she sees the shining gold ring placed neatly in Enid's hand. 

"Oh," is the only thing that escapes from her.

Enid's smile turns shy. "I asked Earl to make it... Do you like it?"

"Enid, I..." Charlotte can only stare. Then, she lunges forward, crushing her lips to Enid's. Hands move to cup Charlotte's face, and Charlotte clutches Enid's shirt in her hands, deepening the kiss and trying to bring Enid even closer to her. When she pulls away, there's a string of saliva between them.

Enid blinks, "is that a yes?"

Charlotte's only response is to kiss her again.


End file.
